Cold
by Nantucket Cat
Summary: Yet another short, fluffy sickfic, but longer than my previous stories. Sherlock gets hypothermia, so John and Mrs. Hudson do everything they can to make him feel better. (There is very brief mention of nudity, but it's not in a sexual context and there is no detailed description.) Like the others, purely platonic, but could be seen as Johnlock if that's what you're into.


Mrs. Hudson always felt a sense of relief when she heard Sherlock and John coming back to 221B. She knew, of course, that they were responsible adults who could look after themselves, but she still worried about them, especially on nights as cold as this. They had been gone for hours, so Mrs. Hudson was glad to finally hear the key in the door.

"Sherlock is a bloody idiot!" John shouted as the door flew open. He hadn't intended to open the door so forcefully, but the wind was outside his control.

"What happened, dears?" Mrs. Hudson asked, noting Sherlock's unusual appearance; he was soaking wet and shivering violently.

"Sherlock thought there was some vital piece of evidence in the river, so rather than doing things in a rational manner, he went in to look for it," John explained angrily. How could someone so smart behave in such a stupid way sometimes? "Sherlock, go take off your wet clothes," he ordered, and Sherlock sulked away to his room to change.

"You really shouldn't be angry with him, John. When he gets really into a case, he'll do anything to solve it," Mrs. Hudson said. "Now, shall I make you boys some tea?"

"That sounds wonderful, thanks," John replied. He went to Sherlock's room to make sure he had changed out of the wet clothes, and what he encountered was an almost gruesome sight.

Sherlock had indeed changed into a pair of sweats and his bathrobe, but it was not until this moment that John noticed how unusually pale Sherlock looked as he sat on his bed, continuing to shiver more than John had ever seen before. Concerned that Sherlock may have fallen ill during their outing, he went to fetch the thermometer.

"I'm not sick, John," Sherlock barely managed to stutter when John returned to his room. "I'm just cold from being outside, that's all."

"Don't be so sure," John replied as he placed the thermometer in Sherlock's ear, cradling the back of his head with his other hand. John's suspicions were confirmed when he saw that, instead of a number, the reading on the thermometer simply said "Lo."

"Unfortunately, Sherlock, it seems that you have hypothermia," John said. Sherlock shook even more, if that was possible, upon hearing this. "Mrs. Hudson is making tea now. Go and drink some while I run a warm bath for you. It's really important right now to get your body temperature back up to normal." John patted Sherlock's back before heading toward the bathroom to start filling the tub.

When Sherlock got to the living room, he nearly collapsed on the couch, finally noticing how exhausted he felt. Fortunately, Mrs. Hudson had heard him coming and immediately handed him a cup of tea before sitting next to him and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Goodness, you feel cold," Mrs. Hudson remarked as Sherlock sipped his tea.

"John says I have hypothermia," Sherlock managed to stammer. He noticed that even speaking seemed like a great deal of effort, and his mind did not seem to be working as efficiently as usual.

"Oh, dear, I'm not surprised," Mrs. Hudson replied, continuing to hold Sherlock. She loved him like her own child, and it pained her to see him suffering like this. "I know John seemed angry earlier, but he really wants to help you feel better, so please let him take care of you. It's important that you do because hypothermia can be very serious." She continued to silently hug Sherlock as he finished his cup of tea. Just then, John emerged in the living room.

"Ready for your bath?" John asked Sherlock. "It should help raise your body temperature and make you feel more comfortable." John helped Sherlock up from the couch and led him to the bathroom. "The water will probably feel really hot to you because you're cold, but I promise it's not actually hot enough to burn you," John explained, realizing that Sherlock might be alarmed by this when he felt the water. He then left the bathroom so as to not watch Sherlock disrobing.

Sherlock was surprised that John reentered the bathroom after he had gotten into the tub.

"I just need to keep an eye on you to watch your symptoms," John said when he noticed Sherlock's puzzled expression. Now more than ever, Sherlock was thankful that John was a doctor and therefore saw human bodies simply as specimens. The thought of anyone seeing his nude body outside of that context horrified Sherlock.

After a few moments, Sherlock felt soothed by the warmth of the water, and his eyes began to close. John tapped his shoulder as soon as he noticed this.

"Sorry, I know you feel tired, but you can't go to sleep in the tub," John said, suppressing a bit of a laugh. Sherlock had to be the quirkiest person he'd ever met.

Sherlock fought to stay awake as he sat in the warmth of the bath for several minutes. After a while, John became concerned about the water cooling, so he helped Sherlock out of the tub and handed him a few towels. After Sherlock had dried off and gotten dressed again, John took his temperature again. This time, the thermometer no longer said "Lo," but his temperature was still a bit below normal.

"Why don't you go get into bed now?" John suggested. "I'll bring you some extra blankets to make sure you stay warm."

Sherlock nodded and went off to his room. Normally he resisted sleeping, especially when he was in the process of solving a case, but the exhaustion was overwhelming him. Just as he promised, John soon returned carrying several blankets that he had taken from his own bed. He also had a hot water bottle, which he placed against Sherlock's bare feet before wrapping him in the blankets.

"Mrs. Hudson wanted me to give you that," John said. "Keeping your feet warm will help the rest of your body feel warmer." Sherlock muttered something nearly inaudible in response.

"Sorry, what was that?" John asked.

"I need a hug," Sherlock repeated at a slightly louder volume. "I feel ridiculous saying that, but earlier Mrs. Hudson hugged me, and it made me feel a little better."

This made John smile; he was so unaccustomed to the idea that Sherlock would want physical affection. He lay down on the bed, pulled a blanket over the two of them, and wrapped his arms around Sherlock. "I wasn't going to suggest this, but it should help you recover."

"Shh, no more talking," was Sherlock's sleepy reply. John noticed that Sherlock didn't feel so cold to the touch now, and his breathing was somewhat more relaxed.

Content with the fact that he was making Sherlock feel better, John rested his head on Sherlock's chest and fell asleep to the sound of his friend's heartbeat.


End file.
